Heroic Stories

Gaspard Ngumiriza
In 1994 Gaspard Ngumiriza was a local official in the Muranvya province in central Burundi. When people were beginning to kill the Tutsis in his area, he had the courage to save Jacqueline Niyozima and her five children, by hiding them in a pit used to store bananas. For three days they hid there, until the killers left the area.

Germene Ntamuheza and Dams Bwanacuya
In 1993, a man and his wife, Germene Ntamuheza and her husband Dams Bwanacuya saved the lives of more than 10 Tutsis by hiding them in their house during the killing. This happened in the central province of Muranvya.

Patricia Ndabasesema
In 1994, Gaston Nzibarega managed to escape from a machete-wielding mob of killers seeking his head. Patricia Ndabasesema opened the door to her home to Gaston and his family, who stayed there until the military were able to shuttle them to safety.

Gaudence Niyonzima
For one full week in 1993, during the height of the ethnic killings, Gaudence Niyonzima, a widow, protected a Tutsi family from death. She fended off more than 10 armed men who wanted to extract the familiy from her house, in the eastern province of Rutana, and guarded the family successfully for one week.

Privat Ndabasesemye
For four days in 1993, in the eastern province of Rutana, Privat Ndabasesemye hid his Tutsi neighbour Jean Nivyindavyi, who was threatened with death due to his ethnicity.

Emmanuel Ntahombaye
Therese Banyasekera was the only survivor after her entire family was massacred in 1993 in the central province of Karusi. The murderers were also aiming to kill her, but luckily Emmanuel Ntahombaye rescued her and hid her in his house. When neighbours threatened Emmanuel, refusing to accept that he hide a Tutsi in his house, he decided to marry Therese in order to reduce the danger posed by keeping her in his house. They are together up to today, and have two children.

Jean Kanyenkiko
In 1993 Jean Kanyenkiko was a veterinarian in the eastern province of Rutana. When the violence broke out in 1993, he did not hesitate to save the life of Pelajie and her three children as they were fleeing from an armed gang. He hid them safely in his house until the military were able to take them to a safer place.

Révocate Niyibigira
Révocate Niyibigira was 23 years old in 1993, and was a teacher in a primary school in the eastern province of Rutana. When the ethnic killings began, she hid 16 Tutsis in her home, often warding off threats and attempted attacks on her home in order to massacre them. She remembers well the danger, but insisted that "I would only let the attackers enter over my dead body."

Francois Nyandwi
More than 30 years ago, when Hutus were being rounded up and murdered in Burundi, Francois Nyandwi was a local official in the eastern province of Rutana. But in his area, Francois defied the norm and hid more than 30 Hutus in his compound, guarding them against danger for more than one month.

Renovat Bukuru
In 1993, during killing of Tutsis in the central province of Gitega, Renovat Bukuru hid a Tutsi family, headed by a man named Sebuso. For more than one week, Renovat's son guarded the house from attackers, until the situation calmed down and Sebuso's family was able to go to a safer place.

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